Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-04-23
In SOUTHERN MEXICO.
L QUEER OLD CITY, PATTERNED
AFTER OLD Castillo.
Curious Features of Mexican Life
Singular Crafts and Avocations
Carried on in the Streets.
Especial REooED-UN1oN Correspondence.


GuADALAJARA. Mexico, April Is, 1887.
This old town, capital of the State of ia
iisco, is considered by many the finest in
the Republic-not even excepting the Fed
eral capital. Opinions are divided as to
whether it or Puebla should rank next to
the City of Mexico in point of wealth and
commercial importance, and certainly to
the stranger it is far more interesting than
either from the fact that, lying remote from
the highways Of foreign travel, it has pre-
served many of the manners and customs
of the middle ages. As Lagos is the pres
ent railway terminus, it requires two days
of staging-over 100 miles of the toughest
road in Mexico-to reach Guadalajara But
by no means slight, one is well repaid for
making it ; and it has been said, with truth,
that whether the traveller comes for bust
ness or pleasure, he is sure to remain here
a much longer time than he intended-and
the longer he stays the more difficult it be-
comes TO tear himself away.
1t is one of those places which produces
sn impression difficult to describe, but
never forgotten-from which the visitor
carries away vivid mental pictures which
come to him afterwards in quiet moments
like the phantasmagoria of dream, so
unique and charming are they, yet so
dreamlike and unreal when recalled amid
other surroundings. AS early as 1851,
GUADALAXARA,
As it was then called, was town of con-
siderable importance. and in 1870 it was
created an episcopal city. Being first set
tied BY Spaniards from the Castilian Quad
alaiara (the snoient ia, iaca, a now deoayed
town of the province of the same name, on
she river Henares, thirty-fve miles from
hadrid) an attempt was made to build a
city in the New World as nearly like that
IN the Old as possible To this end the
churches of San Esteban saint Stephen)
and San Francisco were reproduced in the
new Guadalajara, in even greater splendor
than those of the parent city-which was
easy for the impoverished grandees, since
they were bull, by wealth wrested from
the conquered Aztecs, whom they also
compelled to tear down their own temples
and labor unrewarded in building those for
the conquerors' God. Even the government
ftpaiacio " was built in imitation of the
palace of the Mendozas (the feudal lords of
ancient Guadalajara), and the Oldest tombs
an the IdRteOn are exact copies of those in
CASTLE which hold the bones of the Men
iozas.
Guadalaiara-upon the left bank of the
Rio Grande de Santiago, just 275 miles west
from the City of Mexico, and 40 miles
from the Pacific-has been called 'the Chi
cago of Mexico" because of its enterprise
and liberal ideas. Its present population is
officially recorded as 93,S75; and though
so remote from railroads, and little known
to tie outer world, it has street-cars, cleo
trio lights, telephones, fine system of
water works, and other adiunc.s of an ad-
Tanced civilization. Ii lies in the midst of
\ region so fertile, where fruits, cereals and
vegetables grow in astonishing abundance,
shat the outlying haciendas yield as high
as fifty bushels of corn to the acre, twice in
every year-the first crop being planted in
Februa and the second in July.
The city boasts of no less than fourteen
Diazas, more than dozen public fountains,
5nnumerable churches, fine opera house
and several theaters an elegant Casino or
Club house, Mint, City Hall, a splendid
University. and the only
ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS
En- Mexico, except that OF San Carlos at the
National Capital. The grand Cathedral
magnificent structure, situated on the Plaza
de Armas-was completed in 1918; but its
outer appearance was greatly impaired by
the earthquake of 1913, which destroyed
She cupolas of both the towers.
The Sagario, or Government palace, &C.
cupies the right side of the Plaza de Armas
or Plaza Mayor" as it is called. 1t is
u noble building of the severe style of old
Spain, but with beautiful facade.
The other two sides of the plaza are
lined with handsome arcades, filed with
well-stocked shops, in which native goods
of every description. as well as those from
the United States, Europe, China and the
Orient, may be obtained-if one has money
enough to pay the fabulous prices, doubled
by the duties attached. Merchandise is
dear everywhere in Mexico, but particu-
larlv so in these remote cities hidden
among the mountains, on account of the
difficulties of transportation.
Guadalaiara's Alamada, or public walk,
commands the admiration of every visitor,
being beautifully laid out with fountains,
trees and flowers, with rose-hedged and
pansy-bordered walks beside streams of
running water.
From the top of the cathedral tower the
lover of the picturesque may obtain view
which will delight his soul. One thing
that viii probably strike him with surprise
fif new to Mexican cities) is the absence of
chimneys, which in other countries form
so prominent a feature of such views. In
Atl luAS Sulllf COuhbl1 tIctS 10 ~ oASh
thing as q stove or fireplace, hence no
chimneys. In Jalisco the temperature re-
mains at about 700 from year to year, and
though the traveller feels inclined to keep
in the shade at MONDAY, be should wear
flannel underclothing constantly and
light overcoat in the evening. The cooking
Is all done with charcoal, in Dutch ovens
built out of doors, or in earthen pots-sim-
liar to Cu' l4rge-sized plant.Jars-part'
allied with Goals. upon which smaller jars
are placed. Chimneys would be a super
Auity, for nobody wants fire in the house
with the thermometer never below the
seventies and fer the same reason he OBJ
Ieots to inclosing himself in q conserva-
tory, by putting glass in his windows, when
all the winds OF heaven are welcome. But
though he wanted it never SO badly. fuel
enough to run one of our wasteful cooking
machines would be entirely out of the
question, since coal, which is mostly i'm
ported from England, costs
TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS PER TON,
And wood so per cord Gasoline is unob-
balm able, and petroleum sells for 81 % per
gallon Various trades are carried on in
&uadalaiara with great success, particularly
Silversmithing, blacksmithing and carpen-
tering. Among the manufactures. those
of iron, steel. glass and a peculiar kind of
pottery are celebrated all over the Repub-
lie. Indeed, the fame of Guadalajara
pottery " is worldwide. The queerest de-
signs of carafes, odd water jugs with two
spouts or one, jars, mugs, pitchers with
long noses and stubby handles, etc.-made
of baked clay, highly glazed, with black,
psle-gray or dark-red ground, painted with
impossible flowers or figures which, ac-
cording to scripture, it would be no sin to
Vorship-all quaint enough to rank high
in any collection of ceramics. When new,
this ware imparts to the water it contains a
strange flavor, which is greatly relished by
the Mexicans, but as much disliked by
most other people.
The gayest of serapes and the finest of
rebosos are also manufactured hereabouts
also paper and printed calico. The fligree
work of the Guadalajaran jewellers is simply
L.. IL h. 4